Z 1751.001 Poitevent Family Papers, Accretion

Biography/History:

Of Huguenot descent, the Poitevent family moved from North Caroline to Mississippi around 1836. William Poitevent first settled in Pearlington and then Gainesville in Hancock County where he owned a sawmill. He married Mary Emilia Russ, and they had eight children, including a daughter, Eliza Jane Poitevent, who later owned the Daily Picayune in New Orleans, and a son, June Poitevent, who was born in Pearlington in 1837.

June Poitevent enlisted in the Third Regiment, Mississippi Infantry, in 1861. He attained the rank of captain and was later captured and held as a prisoner in New Orleans until the end of the war. Poitevent married May Eleanor Staples in 1866. The couple had one son, Schuyler, who was born in 1875. June Poitevent worked in his father's sawmill until 1868, when he started a boating business, first on the Pearl River in Mississippi, and later on the Trinity River in Texas, where he purchased a farm in 1870. He lived in Texas until he built a home in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, in 1876. Poitevent also purchased land in Tampa, Florida, that same year. He spent much of his time in Florida and later in Tampico, Mexico, where he purchased a ranch in 1895. Poitevent eventually worked in the lumber business in Mississippi and New Orleans.

Schuyler Poitevent became a member of the Mississippi Historical Society in 1890, but a serious interest in history did not develop until middle age. He was also interested in Indian artifacts as a youth. Poitevent attended Tulane University and the University of Virginia between 1894 and 1898. The Daily Picayune hired him as book reviewer and reporter after graduation. Poitevent married Thomasia Hancock in 1906, and they moved to his father's ranch in Tampico. He raised cattle and exported fruits and vegetables until the Mexican Revolution forced him to abandon his business interests and return to the United States. Poitevent spent the rest of his life in Ocean Springs and dedicated himself to the study of Mississippi Gulf Coast history. He wrote a great number of historical essays, poems, and short stories, but apparently none were ever published. Poitevent died in 1936.

Schuyler Poitevent, Jr., was born in Mexico in 1911. He later married Virginia Favre. The Poitevents lived in Ocean Springs.

Scope and Content:

This collection primarily consists of Schuyler Poitevent, Sr.'s notes on archaeological artifacts excavated in Mississippi during the late nineteenth century. He recorded this information in three small notebooks and in scattered form.

The 1891 notebook includes lists of archaeological artifacts that were found at various Mississippi sites; statements made by those involved in the excavations; diagrams of the sites; and information on the disposition of the artifacts. Particular attention is given to Indian mounds.

The 1895 notebook is entitled "Check-list of Relics." It catalogs 285 artifacts and includes lists of what was found, who found it, and where it was found, and brief histories of artifact types. Occasional references are made to artifacts listed in the 1891 notebook.

The 1900 notebook is entitled "Relic List No. II" and it is a continuation of the 1895 notebook. However, a significant gap in numbering exists. The 1900 notebook begins item 1,000, while the 1895 notebook ends with item 285.

Scattered notes from the 1930s appear to have been used in conjunction with the artifact lists to revise the turn-of-the-century catalogs. There are five newspaper clippings related to Schuyler Poitevent, Sr., or his interests. There are also four unidentified photographs.

Series Identification:

1. Notebooks. 1891, 1895, 1900. 3 volumes.
2. Notes (Loose). 1931-1933. 21 items.
3. Newspaper Clippings. 1875; 1892-1893; 1933. 5 items
• Austin, Texas, newspaper (unidentified), November 1875.
• New Orleans, Louisiana, newspaper (unidentified), February 25, 1892.
• Daily Picayune, New Orleans, Louisiana, March 26, 1893.
• Daily Picayune, New Orleans, Louisiana, ca. 1933.
• Morning Tribune, New Orleans, Louisiana, December 21, 1933.
4. Photographs. n.d. 4 items.